India - Location, size, and extent

Photo by: paul prescott

The Republic of India, Asia's second-largest country after China,
fills the major part of the South Asian subcontinent (which it shares
with Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh) and includes the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep (formerly the
Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands) in the Arabian Sea. The total
area is 3,287,590 sq km (1,269,345 sq mi), including 222,236 sq km
(85,806 sq mi) belonging to Jammu and Kashmir; of this disputed region,
78,932 sq km (30,476 sq mi) are under the de facto control of Pakistan
and 42,735 sq km (16,500 sq mi) are held by China. Comparatively, the
area occupied by India is slightly more than one-third the size of the
United States. China claims part of Arunachal Pradesh. Continental India
extends 3,214 km (1,997 mi)
N
–
S
and 2,933 km (1,822 mi)
E
–
W
. India is bordered on the
N
by the disputed area of Jammu and Kashmir (west of the Karakoram Pass),
China, Nepal, and Bhutan; on the
E
by Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the Bay of Bengal; on the
S
by the Indian Ocean; on the
W
by the Arabian Sea; and on the
NW
by Pakistan. The total boundary length is 21,103 km (13,113 mi), of
which 7,00 km (4,340 mi) is coastline.

India's capital city, New Delhi, is located in the northcentral
part of the country.